Published 06:39 IST, December 22nd 2019
67 per cent of imported toys fail QCI test in India, pose health hazards for kids
According to a recent survey report on the quality of toys in the Indian market, 66.90 per cent of imported toys failed the test, and only 33.10 per cent passed
- India News
- 3 min read
According to a recent survey report on the quality of toys in the Indian market, 66.90 per cent of imported toys failed the tests, and only 33.10 per cent passed all the tests. The testing which was conducted by the Quality Council of India (QCI) was done in the markets of Delhi and NCR on as many as 121 different varieties of toys. 85 per cent of these imported toys sold came from China, followed by Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Germany, Hongkong, and the USA.
The toys were submitted to the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) to carry out all the tests on these toys as per Indian standards. According to the QCI report, as many as 30 per cent of plastic toys failed to meet the safety standards of admissible levels of phthalate, heavy metals, etc, and 80 per cent of plastic toys failed on mechanical and physical safety properties.
However, what was more shocking was that poor quality was not only limited to plastic toys. In the case of soft toys, 45 percent failed on the admissible levels of phthalates and what was worse was that electric toys that can pose to be severe safety hazards if they do not function properly performed the worst. 75 per cent of the sample failed on mechanical properties.
Directorate General of Foreign Trade pulled up
RP Singh, Secretary-General, QCI addressed these concerning statistics stating that if toys fail in mechanical testing they can pose damage to the skin of children. He further said that toys containing any form of chemicals can be cancer-causing.
"Acting on our report, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) changed its notification. DGFT has decided that every consignment, which is coming in India on the Indian ports, samples from each will be picked up and port authorities will send the sample to NABL accredited lab. Until and unless, the lab gives test report passing all the samples, those consignments will not go to the market," said RP Singh. RP Singh also ensured that if the toys failed to meet Indian quality standards, then they will be either destroyed or will be sent back to the manufacturers.
Updated 11:48 IST, December 22nd 2019